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POINTS 



IrESS iUTTlNG AND f ITTING, 



EMBRACING THE LATEST IDEAS CARRIED OUT IN 

THE LEADING EMPORIUMS OF FASHION OF 

PARIS, LONDON, AND NEW YORK. 



TO WHICH IS APPENDED AN 



ORIGINAL, COMPLETE, AND SIMPLIFIED SYSTEM 
OF DRESS CUTTING, 



EMBODYING ALL THE POINTS. 



/.,/' 



BY 



G. M. GREENWOOD. 



o>»<c 




BOSTON, MASS.: 

G. M. GREENWOOD & CO. 

r 890. 






Copyright, 1890, 
By G. M. greenwood. 



Typography by J. S. Gushing & Co., Boston. 
Pkesswork by Berwick & Smith, Boston. 



l)N(5I^0DiJQ50I^r. 



rHE present work was suggested during a number of seasons 
given to teaching Points on Cutting and Fitting. At the 
solicitation of leading dressmakers who constituted my patrons, 
and in order to reach a more universal patronage, I undertook the 
work. As the book advanced, the plan unfolded itself, presenting 
new features, offering attractions of additional value. Special study 
has been given to a clear and concise presentation of the French bias, 
the beauties of which are so thoroughly appreciated, notwithstanding 
the method has been so imperfectly understood. 

The more the subject was considered, the more was it recognized 
that a treatise on dress, combining with the points a system of cut- 
ting free from all complications, scalings, and chartings — one that 
would be self-instructing and take the beginner step by step until 
the perfect draft was completed ; nor end there, but continue to the 
point where the professional cutter would find value in its teachings 
— would be to accomplish a work for which a demand has long 

existed. 

Again, the question of space arose, for such a work to be success- 
ful must be concise. This called for hours of unremitting labor 
spent in selecting and condensing that which appeared to have the 
greatest value. How far I have been successful the public will 

judge. 

On the subjects of Color — its Bearing on Dress, Complexion, 
Line and Proportion, Ornamentation and Material — my labors have 
been almost entirely those of a compiler. The works of a very large 
number of writers have been consulted. Of these, Charles Blanc- 
Planche, W. W. Story, Chevreuil, and Haneis have been largely 

^^""" "P°"- G. M. GREENWOOD. 



<sof(xEf(j5- 



o»4c 



Art in Dress 

Fashion 
The Dressmaker 
Color .... 

Effects of Light on Color 
Material 

Trimming 

Line and Proportion 
Points in Cutting and Fitting 

Boning 

Hip Effects 

Difficult Forms to be fitted 

The French Bias 

Design in Stripes 
To Draft a Basque 

Rules for Measurement 

Drafting a Basque 

Draft of Back . 

Draft of Front 

The Darts 

Correcting Drafts 

To Draft one Dart . 

The Sleeve 



PAGE 
I 



14 
14 
20 

23 
24 

27 
27 
28 

30 
32 
36 
41 
41 

44 

45 
48 
48 

53 
56 

57 



/^RT 'f i^R^^^' 



-ooXfcio 



STANDING a short time ago in a fashionable quarter of a 
creat city, I beheld workmen demolishing a building that 
had been erected as a palace a few years ago, in order to 
make room for what was to be a palace of to-day. The mc.dent 
seemed to present an epitome of the world of to-day : what changes 
we are undergoing ; how man is forever pursued by the sp.nt of 
unrest In every city, town, and hamlet the old is giving way to 
the new The luxuries of the past are the commonplaces of the 
present Wealth and art are taking giant strides, and wealth is a 
means of art. Into every home, into every life, art enters more fully 
than it did a decade ago. And as the homes of a people exhib.t 
cultivated taste, so too will the raiment they wear ; the refinement 
found in the one reflects itself in the other. 

That the development of art in dress has kept pace with the 
advance of art in other fields, there can be no question. The 
wonderfully ingenious fabrics that adorn the windows and counters 
of our great stores are evidences of the demand created by the 
inventive modiste and the votaries of fashion who do homage to 
her skill For these, the looms of the world are kept weaving, the 
art brains kept designing; each season sees the birth of new fash- 
ions, and putting away of the old. For these, earth gives up her 
store, science surrenders her learning, and man his strength and 
skill And the web is woven finer, and the color richer, fairer; 
while from the ponderous loom the filmy fabric falls into skilled 
hands, whose artistic touch gives poetry to drapery that captivates 



2 Art in Dress. 

until a season ends and newer fashions come. And this brings with 
it the thought that, as of the making of books, so of the making 
of dresses, there is no end. Would that the comparison might end 
here, and I could say that the dresses are all good, — but candor 
forces the confession that the analogy can be carried farther, though 
I shall not pursue it. 

Dress voices the wearer ; we read character by it. If disregarded, 
it speaks of neglect. We form an opinion of the rank or station, 
taste and prejudices, of the wearer by it. Unfortunate the woman 
whose attire misleads us in this. The fault is not alone her dress- 
maker's ; for should not she know whether the style is becoming or 
otherwise, the color ill-suited, the line, the drapery, and all that 
goes to make attire attractive, an offence to art and good taste ? 
With such a variety of fabric, such a world of color, such a latitude 
of styles from which to select, the women of our day have no excuse 
to offer for the unending display of tastelessly gotten-up garments 
that are daily seen upon our promenades. 

Let us suppose that by some preconcerted movement every 
woman in our land having a garment to purchase should, on some 
given day, start out and make their purchases with this one object 
as a rule before them : each one to study what material, color, and 
style became her best. What a parterre of loveliness ! What a 
revelation ! What order out of chaos ! It remains with the indi- 
vidual to do her part, without any pre-arranged plan. 

FASHION. 

If the definition of Fashion was asked, it might be answered : 
Fashion is the expression of a desire to reach the beautiful ; and 
however far short it may fall of reaching its aim, yet the tribute to 
beauty remains. "Fashion," writes Oscar Wilde, "rests upon folly. 
Art rests upon law. Fashion is ephemeral. Art is eternal. A fash- 
ion is merely a form of ugliness so absolutely unbearable that we 
have to alter it every six months." The despairing poet evidently 



Art in Dress. 3 

had a warm sympathizer in one of New York's leading modistes, who 
beguiled me of my hours one bright day in June ; it was in 
Madame's elegantly appointed loarlors, — the lady was entitled to 
the Madame, being a Parisian by birth, and having an establish- 
ment in Paris, as well as the one in New York. " The fashion ! " 
exclaimed the lady, "the fashion!" repeating the words with a fall- 
ing accent, as if in deprecation. " In America I hear of nothing but 
the fashion. A Parisian lady comes to me and says, ' Madame, can 
you not design me something new, different from anything, from 
anybody ; something grand, striking, uncommon .'' ' But the Ameri- 
can lady comes to my rooms, and to her I exhibit a confection ; some- 
thing exquisite, impressive ; so becoming and so artistic ! And the 
American, she will look at it, and be enraptured with it, and admire, 
oh, so much ! and then she will turn and ask, * Madame, is it the 
fashion ? ' What can I say .-' She does not want to look distin- 
guished ; she wants to look — the fashion. And then she will order 
a robe like those book-plates on the news-stand, or like something you 
see in the shop-windows, because she wants — the fashion. And all 
the others, they want the same fashion, until the fashion becomes 
exaggerated, unbearable." And Madame sank back in her /auUtn/, 
resorting to her vinaigrette, a picture of Art in despair. There was 
one thing that impressed me most agreeably about Madame and her 
establishment ; it was the ease and quietness with which all things 
were done. Her rooms were models of taste, an entire absence of 
shop ; no sign of rush, no talk of pressure of engagements, no silent 
coming and vanishing of shapely young women, entering under the 
gauzy pretext of "The cutter's awaiting further orders," and then 
posing long enough to display an exquisite model of gown. Then, 
too, it may be Madame no longer needed, had she ever done so, these 
accessories. 

If it is true that fashion is a form of ugliness, let us be thankful 
that the forms present themselves in such variety that we have still 
the privilege of displaying our taste in selecting the least unbearable. 



4 Art in Dress. 

— » ■ • 

For my part, I do not hold it true that our fashions are in so 
deplorable a condition. Indeed, I am again and again confronted 
with the most charming designs, and called upon to pay homage to 
the skill of those whose conscientious labors make the world of fash- 
ion indebted to them. Nor are these the exceptions that prove the 
rule. In turning to the magazines of fashion, those of the highest 
rank, the designs are invariably of a high order, and the standard of 
excellence always sustained. 

No sooner does one style give place to anoth.er, as the bustle to 
the flat skirt, than all the talents of these great designers are turned 
to producing the most graceful lines possible under the new order of 
things. If some of these are made so attractive that they compel 
all to admire, it must be expected that some will purchase, regardless 
of the eternal fitness of things. 

After all, are not these unfortunate selections but tributes paid by 
the wearer to the designer ? Must one's cheeks vie with the color 
of the peach, or one be forbidden to partake of the luscious fruit .'' 

Of course it is most desirable that we possess good taste, — 
' the faculty,' as Haweis writes, of distinguishing between the agree- 
able and disagreeable. Its function is to arrange and display what 
gives agreeable impressions, and to suppress what gives disagreeable 
ones. Natural taste will detect at once any flagrant breach of nat- 
ural law ; and this is why nothing that is purposeless is in any high 
sense beautiful ; any part of dress, like any part of architecture, 
which has no j'aison d'etre, and does not form part of the rest, and 
form part of an harmonious whole, is ungraceful and uncomfortable- 
looking, — in fact, bad in art. 

In the usual recourse to fashion-plates the difficulty in selecting 
will be greatly lessened by first considering the age of the customer, 
second, her figure, which will call for such of the prevailing styles 
as, if the patron is very defective in fair jDroportions, will best 
conceal those defects, and what also will best preserve her better 
points or charms. Presence is here to be studied and life given to 



Art in Dress. 5 

those who are burdened with too much quietness ; while an extreme 
vivacity can very well be toned down sufficiently to prevent it run- 
ning into anything like loudness, and only toned down for such a 
reason, as vivacity in its place is an attraction' that cannot be made 

too much of. 

Age, as observed before, must in a measure determine what they 
shall wear. No more serious error can be made than to dress 
beneath one's years. Old age and gray hairs are honorable ; but 
grey hairs, a Hned and aged face beneath a youthful hat, or the body 
burdened with fashionable trimmings intended for youth, are execra- 
ble in the extreme. An elderly person dressing as becomes her age 
can yet, by a tasteful selection of color and material, make herself 
appear younger than her attire, while the contrast of age in the cos- 
tume of youth is ghastly. 

Having decided on the material and the most suitable fashion, 
the artistic skill of the modiste will next be tested in the fitting and 
draping. Cherish the observation of the woman of fashion who 
uttered the words of worldly wisdom, " There is a comfort, a sort of 
calm satisfaction, that comes to one, in the knowledge of being cor- 
rectly dressed, that religion can never give." 

To produce what we often hear spoken of as a glove-fit is oft- 
times a very easy matter, but to avail yourself of every seam and 
dart and make art lines of them is to be a success. 

A perfect-fitting bodice should not be accompanied by a neglected 
sleeve, as its effect upon the beholder will be to force the conviction 
that the education of the dressmaker stopped at the cutting of a 
basque, and that she must have employed some system, the ingenuity 
of whose inventor was not equal to making a sleeve. 

It cannot be taken too thoroughly to heart, that ease, softness, 
and pliancy in a dress are essential to art and beauty. The first sign 
of stiffness destroys all beauty and must be studiously avoided. A 
waist should fit, not only without drawing, but without seeming to 
draw, and no lines should ever be given to any drapery that have 



6 Art in Dress. 

— • ■■ • — 

the appearance of dragging or restricting in any way the movements 
of the Hmbs. 

Draping is not the piUng up of mountains of material or revelHng 
in labyrinths of lace. It is the handling of these to an end ; the 
moulding to an outline that carries with it an art condition. Dra- 
pery is the touchstone that tests all. A puff, the slightest loop, the 
faintest line, — these can make or mar a dress. 

We go into an art school and pass among the students, looking at 
the result of their studies ; we pause before the work of one who has 
drawn a head or a face. The features appear accurate, the color good, 
and the shading unusually fine. There is much to commend ; for a 
picture it seems excellent, yet somehow but a picture, just as there 
are thousands of such that we cannot associate with art ; there is 
something lacking ; something our finer faculties sense, but our igno- 
rance of art cannot fix with a name. The master comes to our side, 
he looks upon his pupil's work, he takes palette and brush, gives an 
imperceptible touch here, darkens a line there ; the brush seems hardly 
to bear upon the canvas, yet with these few touches he has given 
beauty to a mouth, life to the eye, an expression to the features, and 
a soul to the portrait it never possessed before. What is the secret ? 
It is simply soul. The artist had the soul within him, that gave life 
where life was wanting. So too with drapery. It is the finishing 
lines that are to tell of the art of the modiste. A touch of an artistic 
hand, the lifting of a fold here, the suppression of one there, and the 
garment gains an expression it could never have had but for these. 

Be not satisfied with having done well enough ; the old saying, 
let well enough alone, does not apply here. A true artist should 
never be entirely satisfied ; indeed, a true artist will never be entirely 
satisfied. By this I do not mean that when you have succeeded in 
securing an effect, that you should destroy it, to try some other, but 
rather, that your success in this instance should act as an incentive 
to higher attainments ; 

" That which you have clone but earnest of the things that you shall do." 



Art in Dress. 7 

The reward is certain to follow. Aside from the gratification of 
feeling yourself a success, you have the knowledge that you are ele- 
vating your labor to an art. There are dressmakers by the thousand, 
but art dressmakers are few. Once known, fame and fortune soon 
follow them. It may not come to-day or to-morrow ; but the lovers 
of the artistic and the beautiful are watching and waiting, and culti- 
vated taste will eventually find one out. 



5|iE DI^ESS/ri/^}\EI^. 



To paraphrase the well-known lines of the great poet : " Some 
women are born dressmakers, some achieve dressmaking, 
and some have dressmaking thrust upon them." 

Should any woman ask my advice as to taking up dressmaking 
for a business, my answer would be in the words of the cynic to the 
young man who sought his counsel about getting married. Don't. 
Confident in my own case that the advice would not be heeded, and 
that the fair questioner would hurry away to order cards for an 
" opening," I would, notwithstanding the slight rebuff, extend further 
counsel and say : Since you have set your mind on this thing, and 
are determined to go to the dressmaking in your own way, I can still 
offer you my blessing, which you may cherish for future use, as bless- 
ings form a very small part of the business, it being mostly, if you 
are wise, done for cash. The opening will be as all others, with 
which we who are older are familiar. Your first appearance, to bor- 
row a dramatic expression, will pass off with an eclat that is the share 
of all young debutantes. May it be long before its lustre dims, or 
that you feel the yoke that the calling has put upon you. Despite 
your best effort , crosses will come, and you will find your temper 
subjected to some very, very severe strains. Man is a peculiar ani- 
mal ; and woman — well, there are many types of femininity, and 
you are to meet them all. 

You will find many who might well go to you for instruction, 
offering you their advice ; many who have poor taste ; many more 
with no taste at all : and these people will insist that you put your 
8 



The Dressmaker. 



fine work into their bad selections ; and you will be paid when you 
receive their check, — at least, let us hope that you will. 

On the other hand, you will meet some who are actuated by a sin- 
cere desire to see you succeed ; others again, with more of self in 
their motives : but both capable of rendering you great assistance. 
I refer to those having the entree of the best set, people who have a 
knowledge of all that is passing in the fashionable world. If you 
will remember that while your occupation confines you to your room, 
these patrons have more favorable facilities for observing and catch- 
ing the fashions as they rise. These patrons can assist you, and 
they will do it in so refined a way that you cannot fail to appreciate 

its value. 

It is a duty the dressmaker owes her patrons to make the art of 
dress a complete study, to be well up in all improvements of the 
times. She is under obligation to the refined world to see that culti- 
vated taste is not offended. This much in starting. 

The patron who puts herself in the hands of an artist should allow 
that artist to decide what is, and what is not, becoming to her. If 
the dressmaker is an artist, the customer cannot fail to recognize the 
value of the service rendered. It is the duty of the dressmaker to 
assume the responsibility ; indeed, it is her prerogative : the weak 
alone shirk assuming it. I am fully aware that there are customers 
who will always insist on deciding for themselves ; with such there 
is but one course to pursue, — let them. 

No great height in any art pursuit is ever attained unless the 
aspiration is born of the soul. A block of granite, rough from the 
quarry, falls into the hands of a common laborer, and with his rude 
implements he hews out an ordinary building stone or flagging for a 
walk ; the same block of granite, falling into the hands of a sculptor, 
takes form and life, and becomes a thing of beauty and a joy forever. 
In the hands of the one its value is increased a mere trifle ; under 
the spell of the other its worth will be estimated in the thousands. 

What is true of the block of granite is equally true of a piece of 



lo The Dressmaker. 



dress goods ; the possibilities lying within it for becoming a thing of 
artistic elegance are limited only by the soul of the dressmaker. 

As in the life of an artist, the experience of years, the careful 
study of light and shade, of line and proportion, and the mastering 
of a thousand and one details, to describe which, or to single out, 
would be almost impossible, yet all of which were so needed in form- 
ing a complete whole, so time, study, and experience can alone com- 
plete the dressmaker. Hers is an art embracing all other arts. It 
calls for the eye of the sculptor for line and drapery, the painter's 
delicate discrimination of tone and color, the harmony of things as 
felt by the musician, —all these in the highest degree, and beyond 
these a patience becoming a saint. 



Let us now consider the barriers to art for the American dress- 
maker. It can be readily understood that a state of things where an 
individual's independence is lost, his or her privileges restricted, and 
investigation handicapped with the knowledge that any results of its 
researches shall be submitted to a prejudiced censorship, are about 
the most unfavorable conditions under which one could labor. Art 
and inventive skill must be untrammelled. Reward and recognition, 
these are what most mortals toil for ; they want both : take away one, 
and the other will suffice ; but take both, and all incentive is lost, and 
nothing remains to stimulate either artist or artisan. 

These are about the conditions which our American dressmakers 
find, placing limits on the development of art here, that do not 
environ the European. The first of these barriers might truthfully be 
called the foreign craze.; indeed, there are two distinct types, — the 
Anglo-mania and the Franco-mania. They are barriers standing not 
alone in the progress of art, but in the progress of a fuller develop- 
ment of American industries. That both England and France excel 
in the production of dress fabrics we cheerfully concede ; but why, 
after the goods are placed on the common market, the American 



The Dressmaker. i ^ 



dressmaker should give place to the French modiste, or stand second 
to the English dressmaker, there is no equitable reason. These 
barriers are both natural and artificial ; that is, there was a time 
when they were natural only : haying little of those conditions left, 
they are now artificial rather than natural, and exist more on senti- 
ment than on fact. While our country was still new and our nation 
yet young, our people drew on older nations and countries for those 
manufactures and luxuries that were still undeveloped here. No 
longer than a quarter-century ago it was only from the looms of 
France, Germany, and England that we could obtain those rich and 
rare fabrics with which to adorn our homes and persons. We accepted 
their goods and adopted their fashions, and they continue the supply 

of both. 

The civil war called for a higher revenue, and luxuries bemg the 
natural and legitimate objects of taxation, these foreign manufactures 
were taxed to a point making their cost almost prohibitory for the 
masses; and, when imported, the goods stood upon the counters of 
our large establishments, the envy of the many, the opportunity of 
the few But it was not long before the few discovered that for what 
the imported material cost them over the counter of the American 
dealer, and from the hands of the American dressmaker, they could 
go abroad, purchase their goods where manufactured, and have for- 
eign workmen make them, at a saving that paid the cost of their 
forei-n tour. And thus the European exodus set in, each year 
increasing, until to-day, in order to secure state-rooms in out-gomg 
steamers during the summer season, travellers must notify the com- 
panies' agents weeks in advance. 

These tourists, returning, brought back their foreign dresses and 
foreign ideas to amaze and dismay the American dressmaker. Then 
she was seized with the fever. To her, a trip to Paris meant a knowl- 
edge gained of French methods, and the prestige that a foreign trip 
would give; and she returned, to advertise French fashions and 
foreign importations, and from abroad came the literature and fashion- 



1 2 The Dressmaker, 



plates that were to guide her and be her model in making her cos- 
tumes. Satisfied with imitating and duplicating, she lost all that 
knowledge of art that comes to one who designs and originates. 
Again, these models and fashions set the bounds beyond which her 
individual taste dare not o'erstep. I am continually hearing of French 
fitting and seeing advertised French systems ; the one is, in compari- 
son with American fitting, almost as much a humbug as the other. 
There is no question about it ; American dress cutting and fitting 
stands far in advance of all other, and do not let us take leave of 
common sense, even though some can be found who forget the defini- 
tion of patriotism. The French cutter has a far larger percentage of 
good forms to fit to in a given number of women than has the Ameri- 
can. Our American women are only of late years waking up to the 
fact of their deficiency in form as compared with some other nation- 
alities, partly owing to the neglect of a proper study of the subject, 
and, in a larger measure, owing to other conditions that space here 
does not allow of enumeration. I say, allowing for the difference in 
the forms to be fitted, the American dressmaker, in this one branch, 
need ask no favors from her foreign rivals. And, having said this, 
I can add that there is also much to be acquired and improved upon, 
even in the cutting of a dress. 

Another and growing barrier to the development of art in dress 
is found at our own doors. It is in the manufacturing on immense 
scales of ladies' wraps, mantles, and outside garments. Can there be 
anything more absurd than beholding a woman ordering her gloves 
to be made, so as to fit her hand, and then accepting a wrap or gown 
that has been made for somebody else ? Yet this is not uncommon. 
These manufactured outer-garments appeal most strongly to that 
class who must count the cost of their apparel. Many of these 
cloaks, wraps, and mantles are made after very attractive models and 
designs. The evil is in the fact that they are made in such vast 
numbers ; next, that they stand in the large warerooms, not until a 
woman formed and of the bearing for whom such a particular gar- 



The Dressmaker. 13 



ment was originally intended appears, but to be disposed of to the 
first buyer without regard to any suitability or fitness. The fre- 
quency with which they are seen on the street, the one unending 
parade of a few stereotyped styles, robs even the best of all charm. 
But it cannot be otherwise ; for the dealer will not assume too many 
risks, and each new style is a new risk. He manufactures to sell, 
not to keep, and he must keep what he does not sell, or dispose of 
them at a loss. So a limit is placed on the variety, and art is sacri- 
ficed. As far as the dealer is concerned he is right ; it is the public 
who are to blame. However, if the lady who buys in this way is 
willing to be duplicated and to duplicate others, it is of no moment. 
Dress of any form, whether for out-door or the home, should be 
specially made for the person who must wear it. Rarely can that 
fine effect, that natural moulding to the line of a person's form, that 
individuality and character, be found in a garment or mantle manu- 
factured on some lay figure. Occasionally a person can be suited as 
well in buying this way as by a dressmaker, but the risk is hardly 
worth hazarding. The correct style and fit, if found, will only be the 
exception that proves the rule. It may appear to some that the fact 
of these manufactured garments, through the lower prices asked for 
them, appealing more to the masses, does not prevent the women of 
wealth patronizing the fashionable modiste, who cannot then suffer 
from the condition of things here stated. Replying to such objec- 
tors, I would say, that it is from the masses that taste and art must 
come. It is not sufficient that they behold it on the street or places 
of amusement. It must go with them to their homes, and become 
a part of their home existence. Let them be so nurtured that they 
will be sensitive to every infringement of art, resent every exhibition 
of false taste. Let them understand that things bought because they 
are cheap — are cheap. That a value must be on everything. Let 
them learn that the purchase made at a sacrifice of taste and art is 
a form of economy that impoverishes. 



($OCOI^. 



a>Oic 



EFFECTS OF LIGHT ON COLOR. 



OTHER things being equal, the more highly the surface of a 
body is polished, the more it will reflect white and colored 
light. The white light reflected by a colored body may be of 
sufficient intensity to render the color of the body in some of its 
parts imperceptible. 

When the eye sees certain parts of the surface of a polished or 
uniformly colored object which reflects to it proportionally to the col- 
ored light less of white light than the other parts, the first parts will 
appear in most cases of a more intense tone of color than the second. 

The spiral thread of a piece of twisted silk or wool held perpen- 
dicularly before the eye, appears in the part opposite to the light of a 
much more decided color than on the rest of the surface. 

The folds of bright draperies present the same modification to an 
eye properly placed ; the effect is particularly remarkable in yellow 
silk stuffs, and in sky-blue ; for we can easily understand that it is 
less marked when the stuffs are less bright and of dark colors. 

There are some stuffs which appear to be of two tones of the 
same scale of color, and sometimes also of two tones of two contigu- 
ous scales, although the weft and the warp of these stuffs are of the 
same tone and the same color. The cause of this appearance is very 
simple ; the threads which, parallel to each other, form the designs, 
are in a different direction to the threads which constitute the ground 
of the stuff. 

Hence, whatever may be the position of the spectator with regard 
14 



Color. 1 5 

— •m • — 

to the stuff, the threads of the design will always reflect colored and 
white light in a different proportion to that reflected by the threads 
of the ground, and, according to the position of a spectator, the 
design will appear to be lighter or darker than the ground. 

Modifications produced by Colored Lights. 

Red rays falling on 

Black make it appear Purple-black. 

White u u u j^e(j 

Red u u u Redder. 

Orange ^ « a Redder. 

Yellow u a u Orange. 

Deep Green " « " Red-black. 

Light Green " " " Reddish gray. 

Light Blue " " " Violet. 

Violet u u u Purple. 

Modifications produced by Orange Light. 

Orange rays falling on 

( Maroon, or Car- 
Black make it appear { ,. , 

( melite-brown. 

White u u a Orange. 

Orange a a u More vivid. 

Red u u u Scarlet. 

Yellow (((((( Yellow-orange. 

Light Green " " " Yellow-green. 

Deep Green " " " Rusty green. 

Light Blue " « " Orange-gray. 

( Gray, slightly. 

Deep Blue " " " 

^ ( Orange-gray. 

Indigo Blue '< " " Orange-maroon. 

Violet " " " Red-maroon. 

Modifications produced by Yellow Light, 

Yellow rays falling on 

Black make it appear Yellow-olive. 



i6 



Color. 



White make it appear Light Yellow. 

Yellow " " '•' Orange-yellow. 

Red " " " Orange. 

Orange " " " Yellower. 

Green " " " Greenish yellow. 

Light Blue " " " Yellow-green. 

Deep Blue " " " Green-slate. 

Indigo " " " Orange-yellow. 

Violet " " " Yellow- maroon. 

Modifications produced by Green Light. 

Green rays falling on 

Black make it appear Greenish brown. 

White u u u Green. 

( More intense and 
Green ^ <. « ..... 

I brilliant. 

Red « u a Brown. 

( Faint Yellow, a 

Orange " ^^ « J v i r^ 

^ ( htde Green. 

» { Greener, according 

Green a a a j . , , 

f to Its depth. 

Indigo a a a j)^\\ Green. 

Violet II u ti Bluish green. Brown. 

Modifications produced by Blue Light. 

Blue rays falling on 

Black make it appear Blue-black. 

Yellow u u u Green. 

Green tt u u Blue-green. 

Indigo u u (I Park blue, Indigo. 

Violet u u u i3ark blue, Violet. 

Modifications produced by Black Light. 

Black rays falling on 

White make it appear Blue. 

Blue u a a More vivid. 



Color. 1 7 

» ■ ■ 

Red make it appear Violet. 

Orange » » » _ ^ ^ j Brown, having a pale 

I tint of Violet. 

Modifications produced by Violet Light. 

Violet rays falling on 

^, , , . ( Very faint Violet- 
Black make it appear \ 

' black. 

White « a << Violet. 

• Violet u u u Deeper Violet. 

^ , ( Red-violet, 

Red u u u 

( Purple. 
Orange » u .. Ljg^^ ^^^^ 

( Brown, with a very 
Yellow « u « ^ 

( slight tint of Red. 

Green u u u Ljg^^ Purple. 

Blue a « a Yine Blue, Violet. 

Indigo a a a Bcep Blue, Violet. 

It is understood that in order to represent the preceding phe- 
nomena exactly, we must take into account the facility with which 
colored light penetrates every kind of glass, the more or less intense 
color of the stuff, and the kind of scale to which the colored stuff 
and that of the transmitted colored light respectively belong. 

Juxtaposition of Draping with Complexion, 

Rose-red cannot be put in contact with even the rosiest com- 
plexions without causing them to lose some of their freshness. Rose- 
red, maroon, and light crimson have the serious disadvantage of 
rendering the complexion more or less green. 

Delicate Green is, on the contrary, favorable to all fair com- 
plexions which are deficient in rose, and which may have more 
imparted to them without disadvantage. But it is not favorable 
to complexions that are more red than rosy, nor to those that have 
a tint of orange mixed with brown, because the red they add to this 



1 8 Color. 

— • ■■ • — 

tint will be of a brick-red hue. In the latter case a dark green will 
be less objectionable than a delicate green. 

Yellow imparts violet to a fair skin, and in this view it is less 
favorable than the delicate green. 

To those skins which are more yellow than orange it imparts 
white ; but this combination is very dull and heavy for a fair com- 
plexion. 

When the skin is tinted more with orange than yellow, we can 
make it rosy by neutralizing the yellow. It produces this effect on 
the black-haired type, and it is thus that it suits bncncttcs. 

Violet, the complementary of yellow, produces contrary effects ; 
thus it imparts some greenish-yellow to fair complexions, it aug- 
ments the yellow tint of yellow and orange skins. The little blue 
there may be in a complexion it makes green-violet. This, then, 
is one of the least favorable colors to the skin, at least when it is 
not sufficiently deep to whiten the skin by contrast of tone. 

Blue imparts orange, which combines favorably with white, and 
the light flesh tints of fair complexions, which have already a more 
or less determined tint of this color. Blue is thus suitable to most 
blondes, and in this case justifies its reputation. It will not suit 
brunettes, since they have already too much of orange. 

Orange is too brilliant to be elegant ; it makes fair complexions 
blue, whitens those which have an orange tint, and gives a green hue 
to those of a yellow tint. 

Lustreless White, such as cambric muslin, assorts well with a 
fresh complexion, of which it relieves the rose color ; but it is unsuit- 
able to complexions which have a disagreeable tint, because white 
always exalts all colors by raising their tone ; consequently it is 
unsuitable to those skins which, without having this disagreeable 
tint, very nearly approach it. 

Very Light White draperies, such as muslin or lace, appear 
more gray than white. We must thus regard every white drapery 
which allows the light to pass through its interstices, and which is 



Color. 1 9 

— «— •— • — 

only apparent to the eyes by the surface opposed to that which 
receives incident light. 

Black draperies, by lowering the tone of the colors with which 
they are in juxtaposition, whiten the skin ; but if the vermilion or 
rosy parts are somewhat distant from the drapery, it will follow that, 
although lowered in tone, they appear relatively to the white parts 
of the skin contiguous to the same drapery redder than if not con- 
tiguous to the black. 

For the colors for dress of women we must begin by establishing 
certain distinctions. 

That of the two types, with skins more or less white and rosy. 

The one with light hair and blue eyes. 

The other with black hair and black eyes. 

That of the juxtaposition of the articles of the toilet, whether 
pertaining to the hair or to the complexion ; for a color may contrast 
favorably with the hair, yet produce a disagreeable effect with the 
skin. 

The color of light hair being essentially the result of a mixture 
of red, yellow, and brown, we must consider it as a veiy pale, subdued 
orange-bro%v7i ; the color of the skin, although a lower tone, is analo- 
gous to it except in the red parts. Blue eyes are really the only 
parts of the fair type which form a contrast of color with the whole ; 
for the red parts produce, with the rest of the skin, only a harmony 
of analogy of hue, or at most a contrast of hue and not of color ; 
and the parts of the skin contiguous to the hair, the eyebrows, and 
eyelashes, give rise only to a harmony of analogy, either of scale or 
of hue. 

The harmonies of analogy, then, evidently predominate in the 
fair type over the harmonies of contrast. 

The type with black hair shows the harmonies of contrast pre- 
dominating over the harmonies of analogy. The hair, eyebrows, 
eyelashes, and eyes contrast in tone and color, not only with the 
white of the skin, but also with the red parts, which in this type are 



20 Material. 

— • m • — 

really redder, or less roseate, than in the blonde type ; and we must 
not forget that a decided red, associated with black, gives to the latter 
the character of an excessiveljf deep color, either blue or green. 

The colors which are usually considered as assorting best with 
light or black hair, are precisely those which produce great contrasts ; 
thus, sky-blue, known to accord well ivith blondes, is the color that 
approaches the nearest to the complementary of orange, which is the 
basis of the color of their hair and complexions. Two colors, long 
esteemed to accord favorably ivith black hair — yelloiv and red, more 
or less orange — contrast in the same manner with them. Yellow 
and orange-red, contrasting by color and brilliancy with black, and 
their complementaries, violet and blue-green, in mixing with the tint 
of the hair, are far from producing a bad result. 



-«-^t^»«^5«£^ 



/n/^5^i^i/»c. 



IN selecting material, the complexion, the age, and the figure are 
the first to be considered ; then the time and occasion for which 

it is intended, and the position in life and individuality of the 
wearer. In the same way colors harmonize, so also does material : 
and harmony cannot be disturbed. There is, if I may be allowed the 
expression, a sympathy in goods, as in sealskin and silk. Materials 
of widely different cost seldom look well, and are to be avoided. 
They force upon us a sense of incongruity ; and art teaches us that 
the incongruous is not a source of delight. The modiste has before 
her two tasks, to display and to conceal : as an elegant throat can be 
left to prove the truth of the adage, beauty unadorned, so, when time 
has laid relentless lines upon it, the value of elegant laces and high 
collars will be readily appreciated. 

Textures assimilate with the light of day. Woollen textures 



Material. 21 

■ ■ ■ 

absorb rays, satin reflects them, velvet subdues them, and cloth 
deadens them. In this way materials derive their characteristics 
from light, and we come to regard them as grave or gay, as lively or 
severe. Again, variety is given to the character of the material by 
its being plain or figured, striped or checked, and this characteristic 
is changed again as these stripes or figures are large or small, modest 
or obtrusive, while these are again affected by their arrangement, 
whether representing order by being regularly placed or by being 
carelessly placed representing confusion. Color next enters, demand- 
ing more care and study in the selection of the material. 

Stripes, when used with rare good taste, are capable of producing 
most gratifying sensations. They have the property of changing the 
style of the goods, as well as the figure of the wearer. Vertical 
stripes elongate, and horizontal stripes widen. Plain material, as 
soon as it is folded or plaited, practically becomes striped. Both the 
shadow cast by the overlying plait gives color, and the crease gives 
line. So a sash gathered and wound around the waist breaks length, 
and gives width. 

Stripes that alternate in either texture or color can in the mak- 
ing either make or mar the dress waist. Narrow stripes should be 
avoided when a pronounced effect is sought. A stripe from one to 
two inches in width has character, the width always being determined 
in proportions conformable to the height and figure of the wearer. 
These effects can only be shown to great advantage on fine forms, or 
figures that have had their deficiencies of contour supplied, as 
stripes demand smooth fitting. When carried on the straight on a 
tall and slender form, they have little to recommend them. For such 
figures the stripe should be on the oblique or bias, brought in this 
way : the stripe slanting from the shoulder toward the centre or 
front, the effect is to give the wearer the appearance of much greater 
width and fulness of bust, and if cut according to the instructions 
given under the division of Points on Fitting, the result will be both 
aCTeeable and attractive. 



2 2 Material. 

— > ■ • 

Though we are daily beholding such evidences of false taste, and 
while I fear that the amateur cutter will never forgive me for direct- 
ing attention to this abuse of both design and material, I am com- 
pelled to remark, and emphasize the statement, that a waist having 
vertical stripes is simply ruined when two darts are taken. The 
darts destroy all purpose ; the lines, whether vertical or oblique, are 
broken off short long before they have carried out the object for 
which they were selected, and the painful spectacle is presented of a 
waist of stripes as far as the line of bust, becoming a check at the 
bodice, and running purposelessly into anything at the basque. 

There is one exception to this, or, I might say, a modification. 
It is where two stripes cut at right angles one, either through depth 
of tone or width of line, subdue the other ; the texture then appears 
shaded, the squares in a degree are lost, and unity in a measure is 
restored. The rule given for these conditions is, that one of the 
shades must be three times deeper than the other, and the first line 
three times wider than the second. 

I have endeavored to lessen these faulty occurrences in the arti- 
cle already referred to on Points in Fitting, and the dressmaker, 
whether professional or amateur, can spend no more profitable hour 
than in the experimenting with material of this design. Bear well 
in mind that for stripes one dart is sufficient, while the grandest 
effects can only be obtained by leaving out darts entirely. 

Plaids and checks are to be forsworn if dignity is to be consid- 
ered. They have never been considered suitable for any but chil- 
dren. At long intervals they put in their unhealthy appearance, like 
all other plagues, and then disappear. At the present time of writ- 
ing they are somewhat worn, and the cutters have striven to over- 
come the square effect that cutting on the straight gives, by cutting 
the material on the bias and having every part carefully matched ; 
but their labor, while in a shght measure showing an improvement, 
still leaves a waist that is more an advertisement of their mechanical 
skill than any recommendation of taste. 



Material. 2 3 

— > ■ • — 

TRIMMING. 

The aim ot trimming is to improve the line. There are forms 
that demand trimming. The slight, graceful form or the well-rounded 
figure need little or no trimming to their waist ; a bow, a sash, a 
scarf, a bit of ribbon to relieve color or give color — these are all that 
is needed. Again must we repeat, "beauty unadorned is adorned 
the most." Plastrons, watteau plaits, blouses, and the like, should 
be relegated to the closet. They have their uses, but not here. 
Trimmings seen on a perfectly formed figure only seem to advertise 
somebody's bad taste or worse fitting. There is no excuse or pallia- 
tion for concealins: a good form beneath a bad fashion. 



\ViDTHS OF Material. 

Iks: Black (French) 18, 20, 24 

Colored and Plain (French) . . . 18, 22, 24 

... 24 

... 18 

... 27 

22 
20 
54 
32 
27 
48 
20, 22 



inches. 



American 

Summer and Japanese . 

Pongee and Foulard . . 

Undressed 
Poplins : Irish, 24 inches ; 

Ladies' Cloth, 64 " 

Reps, all wool, 

Velours, silk-faced, 28 " 

Drap d'6t6 

Velvet 



French, 
heavy. 



all wool 



Number of Yards required to make a Dress from Material of 
Different Widths. 

The first figures in numbers of yards being for persons of medium size; the second column 
for larger size. 

18 to 20 inches wide from 20 to 25 yards. 

21 " 22 " " "19 " 22 " 

23 " 24 " " ''18 " 22 '' 



24 Line and Proportion. 



27 to 30 inches wide from 15 to 20 yards. 

" 14 " 20 " 





32 - 


36 " 38 " 


40 ' 


' 42 " 


44 " 46 " 




48 " 


52 ' 


' 54 " 



12 " IS 

10 " 14 

10 " 12 

9 " II 

7 " 9 



o-i»ic 



LINE AND PROPORTION. 



All methods, says Mr. Blanc, that men have ever invented for the 
adornment of their persons, owe their existence to one of the follow- 
ing principles : Repetition, Alternation, Symmetry, Progression, and 

Confusion. 

Repetition. 

Everything that appeals to our feelings acquires an astonishing 
power by the simple reiteration of the active cause. The simplest 
mode of decorating a surface is by the repetition of any given figures. 
Any form, however insignificant in itself, becomes interesting by 
repetition. Numbers often suggest thoughts which unity would not 
have originated. A succession of curved lines are likely to suggest 
grace, while a succession of straight lines appear severe. Variety is, 
like repetition, one of the great laws of the universe, and these two 
great laws are combined in alternation, which is in fact a blending of 
repetition and variety. Alternation is the succession of two different 
objects recurring regularly in turn. If a stripe of blue be put by the 
side of a stripe of green, and if this juxtaposition is kept up, we have 
an alternation of colors. The manufacturer of striped fabrics makes 
use of alternate colors, sometimes boldly contrasted, sometimes alike 
in color but differing in shade. Occasionally variety is gained by the 
mere contrast of brilliancy and dulness, as when a black dress has 
stripes of satin-like lustre alternating with stripes of a dull tone like 



Line and Proportion. 25 



velvet. Alternation is less elevated in its character than repetition ; 

the latter ftiay be almost sublime, the former never passes the Kmits 

of beauty ; so we may say, alternation has charm, repetition has 

grandeur. 

Symmetry. 

The original meaning of the word symmetry, according to its 
Greek etymology, meant the state of a body of which all the members 
have a common measure amongst themselves ; that is to say, it signi- 
fied what we mean by proportion ; indeed, the words symmetry and 
proportion are almost interchangeable, because a symmetrical animal 
is always well proportioned, and a well-proportioned animal is always 

symmetrical. 

Contrast. 

Contrast is the highest degree of alternation. If you make a red 
stripe follow an orange stripe, you simply produce alternation ; but if 
the stripes so placed are the complementary colors one of the other, 
as orange and blue, yellow and violet, red and green, you will have a 
most lively contrast. In the same way a series of circles and ovals 
would only produce alternating forms, while a circle and rectangle, a 
cube and sphere, would be decidedly contrasting forms. 

To adorn a person or a thing is not simply to cause them to be 
seen, but it is to cause them to be admired. Contrast should only 
be used as a means of rendering the whole more powerful, brilliant, 
and striking. 

If orange must predominate in a decoration, let blue be mingled 
with it, but sparingly, so that the complementary color of orange may 
be its auxiliary and not its rival. A contrast of round and angular 
shapes would be displeasing in the highest degree if one of these 
forms competed with the other in importance, in volume, or in extent. 

Vertical and Horizontal Lines. 

The vertical line raises itself, the horizontal line extends itself; 
therefore it is natural that these two lines should be connected with 



26 Line and Proportion. 



totally different ideas. The repetition of vertical lines on a surface 
gives height, because it divides the width ; the repetition of horizontal 
lines give width, because it divides the height. 

While little is left for the dressmaker but to follow the prevailing 
fashion, the consideration of amplitude, as affecting dress, will be 
carried out, subject to the limits that any particular fashion may pre- 
scribe. It may be well for her, however, to keep in mind that ampli- 
tude produces an aesthetic effect in the art of dress as in other arts. 
A certain presumption of dignity is attached to width, which enlarges, 
because it is the opposite of scantiness, which diminishes. To run 
to excess in width, to exaggerate it, is to miss the goal by overstep- 
ping it. The condition of fulness in dress is, that it does not alter 
the natural shape of the human body, the outline of which ought 
always to give boldly the all-prevailing direction of height. Confined 
within these bounds, amplitude produces an illusion of size, not only 
because it enlarges the image presented to our sight, but because it 
makes us instinctively attribute increased importance to a person 
amply dressed, by augmenting the place that it occupies in the mind, 
by reason of the space that it fills in reality. 

Too much value cannot be set upon the possibilities of lines. 
They produce beauty, they produce symmetry, and the symmetrical 
is always beautiful. Their power to do this is carried even beyond 
the boundaries of truth and fact, and we see objects, not as they 
exist, but as the}/ appear through the tendency of lines to direct our 
thoughts to height or width, accordingly as they may run. Take, 
for example, two' circles, and cross one with vertical, and the other 
with horizontal, lines ; these repeated, the first will have the appear- 
ance of greater height, the second that of increased width, while both 
will have the appearance of ovals. The same will be the result where 
squares or ovals are employed. 

Lines can be broken by color, by trimmings ; and where so broken, 
the effect will be to lessen the height if vertical. Oblique lines 
express motion. They are suited to all figures, and, whether obtained 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 



27 



in the shaping or draping, convey an impression ot freedom, and lend 
di-nity to the gown. The waist should never be lengthened at the 
ex°pense of the skirt. A long waist and short skirt gives an .mpres- 
sion of short limbs. A happy mean should be aimed at, and, secured, 
will well repay the study devoted thereto. 



poiflT$ 'H Q^TT'HC f^P F's^'HC' 



o;*:c 



BONING. 

THE use of bones and steels to give and preserve shape to a 
waist is a more important study than ever. 
Bec^inning at the front line or curve, where the buttons 
are fastened, a round bone should be inserted; flat bones are used 
in every dart and seam including the centre seam of back, the bone 
of which can be carried well down and shaped with the others. 

When the waist is being tried on for the last time, the fi ter 
should take a stitch to mark the most pronounced curve of wa>st hne 
at each point where boning comes. Then remove each bone, mark- 
in. it at a point where the stitch gave the point of curvmg. The 
bo°,e is then shaped by holding it for a moment over a lamp, or over 
the edge of a hot iron ; then curving it to a shape conformmg to the 
contour of the waist. Only the best whalebone can be used for this 

'"men the watch-spring steels are used, the steel can be annealed 
and tempered by either of the following processes : - 

, Use a spirit lamp (alcohol). Pass the steel through the flame 
until thoroughly heated, then cool ; the temper is novv out. Shape it 
lo conform to the figure ; again pass it through the flame, and when 
it is a cherry-red heat, quickly plunge m water. 



28 Points in Cutting and Fitting. 



2. Put the steel in a pot of hot lead ; let it remain five minutes, 
then remove and allow it to cool. It is now annealed. Shape it to 
the desired curve, and put it back in the lead, letting it remain five 
minutes ; then remove quickly and plunge in water. 

The lead keeps 'the steel from warping ; moreover, lead being 
subject to but one height of temperature, gives a uniform heating to 
the steel. 

Cross-Boning. 

In order to preserve the shape to the waist, an extra bone can be 
carried from the side seam of front, crossing the second dart down 
to the bottom of waist, where it can be secured. The bone should 
be a fine one and cased. It must be firmly fastened to the under- 
arm seam about one inch below arm circle. 

Bones can be placed between all seams, fastened at top and 
bottom only. A very good plan, if correctly carried out, is to use a 
spring steel in the following way : — 

Measure a distance from the bottom of waist (between second 
dart and side seam) ; that will be one-third of an inch shorter than the 
extreme ends of the steel. Fasten the steel firmly at both ends. 
The steel, being longer than the line of cloth on which it is fastened, 
will bow out. But when the waist is put on the wearer and buttoned, 
the steel shapes to the line of the figure, and the waist is held down 
firmly. 

Always remember that the cut gives the fit ; the boning holds that 
fit to its shape. 

HIP EFFECTS. 

The method for cutting on the hips, as shown in the cuts and 
taught in the System, is a great improvement over the old ways, 
insuring an accuracy and smoothness that can never be attained by 
them. 

It may be well, in starting out, to say that these errors arose from 
the fault of the old teachers in studying the human form from the 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 29 



wrong standpoint. They only saw the figure as it presented itself to 
them, when, standing full in front, they beheld an outline sloping at 
the side and springing at the hip, or, when standing for a side view, 
they fell into the very easy error of mistaking the slope of the back 
as a fact that could be treated by sloping the centre seam of back in 
their drafting and fitting. That this was a mistake the reader can 
easily prove, by taking a strip of cloth or ribbon about one inch wide, 
and standing behind some friend, pin the ribbon at the collar line, 
and carry it down the back, the edge of the ribbon on a straight line 
with the centre seam of back. The straight edge of the ribbon will 
be seen to follow the seam, and the ribbon mould to the form. 
Observe that // is not the edge of the ribbon that moulds to the figure, 
but the flat surface shapes itself ; and this without any dart or curve 
being cut. ' 

Now if a curve or dart is cut where no reason for it exists, the 
system teaching it is at fault. For even while a piece so curved may 
be stretched into shape or fitting, yet a dart has been taken where 
not called for, consequently at the sacrifice of the fitting at some 
point at which a dart was required. Bear well in mind that the dif- 
ference between the bust and waist measures gives the exact amount 
of cloth to be taken out, when the scientific point is being considered. 
At no point can an excess of cloth be taken but at the loss of some 
other point requiring it, consequently at the expense of a perfect fit. 

The side of a person presents for a certain width the same flat 
surface as does the back. (A surface can be flat and slope at the 
same time, though this, in teaching, heretofore appears to have been 
overlooked.) This principle has been carried out in this system, both 
in its relation to the cutting of the under-arm piece and centre of 
back patterns. 

Again, putting all the spring on the front line, and drafting the 
line joining it straight, as the spring of hip in front of basque, to 
the straight front seam of under-arm piece as shown in the dia- 
grams, brings the material well over the hip, the straight line of one 



30 Points in Cutting and Fitting. 



holding the other well back, and having the added effect of bringing 

the seam more in a straight line, while doing away with the painfully 

offensive bunchiness seen in all basques where the lines are cut in 

corresponding curves. 

The only deviation from this rule for cutting the hip seams is 

where stripes are to be matched to a V, as shown in the illustration, 

and which is fully explained in the article thereon. Where stripes 

are to be matched to follow out the line, this new method will be 

followed. 

DIFFICULT FORMS TO BE FITTED. 

As most systems are based on some principle of proportions of 
the human form, it naturally follows that where. a figure is found 
differing in a great measure from these proportions, no really practi- 
cal results can be obtained from a draft for such a figure. One of 
the gravest faults of such systems is, in basing the widths of back, 
both at waist line and across shoulder, on some proportion to the 
bust or waist measure, while all systems will be found at fault, where 
the person to be fitted comes out of the quality of ratios on which 
such scaling is calculated. 

The following are the causes of some of the most frequent occur- 
rences of misfitting : — 

1. When a person measures an extreme length from the promi- 
nent bone at back of neck to the point of bust. In this case the 
waist is short from the line of bust to shoulder seam, and it is fortu- 
nate for the individual if her dress has been so cut, that letting out 
the shoulder seam will remedy the defect. The 7th measure taken 
by this system provides for this, and enables the cutter to correct 
the draft before cutting out the material. 

2. Where the measure of width of back on waist line has not 
been taken, but a scaling followed. 

While two people may correspond in waist measures, one may 
require four inches on width of waist line back, while the other 
require five. If the system of scaling allows five inches, the one 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 3^ 



calling for four inches would have an inch of loose cloth at the back, 
while her waist would not come together by that amount in the front. 
This would require letting out at the front and taking in at the back, 
and the result would be anything but satisfactory. The 6th measure 
called for by this system obviates any such mistake. 

3 There is a very large number of women who have retained the 
symmetrical back and slender, sloping waist at back, that was theirs 
before time had added the rounding fulness to bust and increased the 
size of waist. The handsome shape of the one has not been im- 
paired in the splendid development of the other. These forms have 
acquired little, if any, fleshiness at the back, and if any, it will be 
found above the line of shoulder-blades, in no way changing the con- 
tour of the waist. These forms when subjected to these scahng 
systems are an unending source of anxiety tx> the dressmaker. For 
there we must again direct attention to the System accompanymg 
this work, which drafts a back for a back, and front for a front, 
preferring to trust to the intelligence of the cutter with a tape meas- 
ure, than risk the disaster that is the fate of scalings and propor- 
tions when appUed to the human form. 

The 4th, 5th, 6th, and 9th measures are all of service as test 
measures in correcting any draft for the class of figures to which we 

are referring. 

Whatever system the cutter may be using, let him or her remem- 
ber that cloth can always be safely drafted ; for where cloth is needed, 
and where more cloth is required for the front, follow this rule. 

Mark out for it on the line of bust and carry the added width all 
the way down on front line, and in a slant from point of bust to neck 
curve The cloth you have added to the waist in front, m order to 
.et sufficient fulness at bust, can be taken out in the first dart. 
Increase your first dart by the amount you have added on waist hne 
in front From your new centre of the enlarged dart, draft a line 
and form a new point and curve. This rule will always apply where 
an excessive fulness is found at the front and at the point of bust. 



32 Points in Cutting and Fitting. 



Refitting. 

In trying on, see that the customer stands erect, and admit of no 
criticisms until the waist is on and fitted. Pin from neck down, 
pulHng the waist well on, and watching that the shoulders at arm 
circle allow of freedom in pinning up. After the waist or lining is 
on, draw well down at every point and watch the effect. Should 
there be any fulness in front from point of bust to neck, or at shoul- 
ders, do not try to correct by pulling away toward point of shoulder. 
Simply unfasten from point up, and bring the two fronts evenly 
together and pin a new slope for front. As you proceed, with your 
fingers inside of neck curve, lightly lift, as it were, the front ; this as 
each pin is fastened. After pinning up snugly, if any fulness or 
wrinkle remains at shoulder seam, mark with a pin for change at that 
point. The change should be made entirely from the front when the 
fault is in front. Any wrinkle or looseness across back, above the line 
of bust, should be corrected by opening the shoulder seam and short- 
ening the distance between those points. Remember that a misfit 
is more likely to imply an error in the taking of measures or drafting 
than in the system. It is the system that tests the measurements, 
not the measurements the system. All seams should be joined at 
arm circle and baste down ; do not join at waist line. 

THE FRENCH BIAS. 

The origin of the so-called French Bias came in taking a gore from 
the arm circle in an oblique line to the top of the second dart, the 
purpose for which the gore was taken being to get rid of the super- 
fluous cloth or looseness caused by the hollowness that is found just 
above the bust and near the arm circle. This gore was taken in the 
lining, the lining being fitted before the outside was cut. In order 
that the lining should lie flat and smooth when used for a pattern on 
the cloth, the second dart was cut from bottom to top through the 
centre ; otherwise the concave shape given to the lining by the gore 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 33 



would have prevented an accurate pattern being cut. Such was the 
origin o£, and such is, the French Bias. But the value of th.s method 
of Cutting, aside from its getting rid of the superfluous cloth, was no 
realized until striped material came to be cut in th>s way, when the 
handsome bias, caused by the manipulation of the cloth, and the large 
dart came prominently into notice. 

This very elegant effect was certain of attracting attention, and 
both dressmakers and teachers of cutting turned their minds to find- 
ing the way the thing was done. The results were both amusmg and 
lamentable. They arrived, however, at one conclusion, wh.ch was^ 
that the appearance could be obtained by takmg up much move 
cloth in the second dart. The extra amount so taken was made up 
or by adding cloth (on the waist line) to the seam that jomed wUh 
he under-arm piece, and a new side seam established by drafting 
L the new width at waist line to the point at arm circle where the 
former line or seam ended. This was a success so far as ringm 
the stripes on a bias into the second dart was concerned ; t>"t ^o cal- 
It Jhaving been made for the extra cloth naturally ad e a^ 
bust hne. an extra fulness was found at this pomt, and the dress- 
maker, dismayed with the looseness it added, abandoned the idea. 
The error was a natural one for any but an expert to make, 
arose from starting from the wrong end, from mistaking the effect 
for the cause. 

How TO OBTAIN THE FRENCH BlAS. 

The simplest and most efficient method is to take the paper pat- 
tern of a front, cut through the second dart from bottom to top, then 
take up a dart one inch wide at arm circle, and from a pomt in the 
afm ircle about two inches from the angle formed by arm circle 
where it ends at line of under-arm seam. The dart will run obliquely, 
V <.haDed from arm circle to top of dart. 

Thelange effected from the original pattern is illustrated in 

Plate No. I. 



34 



Points in Cutting and Fittino;. 




Plate No. I. — French Bias. 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 35 




Plate No. 2. — Draft of French Bias. 



36 Points in Cutting and Fitting. 



To DRAFT THE FRENCH BlAS. 

Plate No. 2 exhibits the draft of the French bias. 

1. Measure from the right-hand seam of second dart, on line 5, 
lyi inches, and dot. From this dot to top of second dart draft new 
curve for dart. 

2. Measure on line 5, to the right of line T, 1% inches, and dot. 
Place your rule, with its edge touching this dot, and draft line TT 
from arm circle to the dot. This line must intersect line 7 where it 
is crossed by line T. 

The lines T and TT, crossing at line 7, form a V. This becomes 
the dart for arm circle, answering the dart taken in arm circle as 
shown in Plate i. 

To draft the new width of basque at hip. 

3. Measure the distance from the point where line T' touches on 
line 10, to line 9. Measure double this distance from line 9 towards 
line 8 (or beyond), and dot on line 10. From this point draft line 
TT' to the point on line 5 where line TT touches. 

4. Measure on line 10 the distance from the centre line of original 
second dart to the point where line T' touches on line 10. Then 
from the point where line TT' ends on line 10, measure the same 
number of inches toivards dart, and dot. Draft a line from where 
the new curve of second dart ends on line 5 to this dot, and below if 
required. Have the width of skirt of new pattern correspond with 
the width of old. 

These rules apply to any correct system. 

DESIGN IN STRIPES. 

Plates 3 and 4 exhibit a pattern in stripes, the front forming a V, 
while the stripes of the under-arm piece are also brought to a V 
where it joins the front. Stripes are purposeless unless matched and 
the matching carried out in every part, as shown in the illustration. 
The hip effect taught in the system cannot be carried out here, as 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 37 



the matching of the stripes to a V on i:he hip requires both sides to 
be equal to each other. Where the stripes are made to follow their 
line, this is not needed, as shown by the side form back and centre of 

back. 

The front of the basque or waist is cut first, its front line, from 
neck to point, being brought on a line with the stripe. The under- 
arm piece is matched to the front, reversing. To match the side 
form to the under-arm piece the line of the side form must lay straight 
with the line of the under-arm piece on the goods. The curve of 
back and side form back should be brought on a line. 

The plates will be found of great assistance, as the stripes are 
represented just as they should come in each piece. 

Round Shoulders. 

Plate No. 5 shows the correct method of cutting for round-shoul- 
dered persons. 

The draft of back should be made one inch shorter than the indi- 
vidual's length of back measurement. This inch is afterwards sup- 
plied in the part where most needed, and can only be supplied and 
properly fitted in this way. After the ordinary draft of back has 
been made, the line AA is made and cut open, spreading the open- 
ing to a V shape, which can be held down by gumming paper thereto. 
In order to offset the concave shape and give a flat pattern, a dart, 
BB, is taken up in the shoulder seam. This shortens the shoulder 
seam and lengthens the centre seam of back. The appearance of the 
altered pattern is shown in the same plate. 

The length of shoulder seam front must be made to correspond 
with that o^f the back. In basting, follow the curved line of the 
shoulder seam back. 



38 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 




Plate No. 3. — Design in Stripes (Front). 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 




Plate No. 4. —Design in Stripes. (Back.) 



40 



Points in Cutting and Fitting. 




"A A 



Plate No. 5. — Draft for Rounding Shoulders. 



TO Di^/^pT f\ Bj\^qu^. 



o>^c 



RULES FOR MEASUREMENT. 



PLATE No. 6 illustrates the method of taking measures. They 
should be taken over as perfect a fitting waist as attainable, 
avoiding trimmed waists, belts and ornaments. Do not allow 
the waist worn to be a guide. See that the person being measured 
stands erect. Stand behind the person, placing her before a mirror. 
Take the measures in the following way : 

1. Bust Measure. Pass the tape around the fullest part of bust, 
straight across back; take fairly snug. (See plate, i to i.) 

2. Waist Measure. Pass the tape around the waist ; take extremely 
snug. 2 to 2. 

3. Width of Front. Measure across chest from arm circle to arm 
circle, about four inches below neck. 3 to 3. 

4. Neck to Point. Measure from the neck in front in a straight 
line down to point of bust. TV to P. 

5. Width of Back. Across back from arm circle to arm circle. 
4 to 4. 

6. Width of Back at Waist Line. Measure the desired width at 
this point, having the width symmetrical with the width of shoulder. 

7. LengtJi of Back. From back of neck measure well down full 
length. 5 to 5. Be careful to observe how far the tape goes below 
the horizontal line of waist ; that is, on a line where the under-arm 
piece ends at waist. This will show the drop of back, or length, the 
centre seam of back and seam of side form must be carried below draft 
of waist line, to conform to the shape of back at this point. The 
accuracy of fitting depends on the careful consideration of this point. 

8. Under-Arm Length. Measure from hollow of the arm to waist 
line, well down. 7 to 7. This is another essential measure and 
governs the fit for length from waist line to neck. 

9. Back of Neck to Point of Bust. Place the tape on the promi- 
nent bone at back of neck, bring forward over the shoulder, rather 
close to the neck, and down to point of bust as shown in illustration 
6 to P. 

41 



To Draft a Basque. 



43 




10 



Plate No. 7. — Outline of Draft. 



44 To Draft a Basque. 



DRAFTING A BASQUE. 

Plate No. 7 shows the outline of the work. One-half the basque 
alone being drafted, all the measurements of circumference will be 
one-half of the actual measurements. Those of length will be 
drafted full length. The square, i, 2, 3, 4, gives the lines within 
which all the work is confined. The space between vertical lines 
I and 9 will constitute the front ; that between vertical lines 8 and 9 
the under-arm piece, or side ; and that between 8 and 4 the back of 
basque, or waist. 

1. Draft line No. i about two inches from edge of paper, or sel- 
vage of material. 

2. Draft from the right of line No. i, at right angles with it, line 
No. 2. The length of line No. 2 will be one-half the bust measure. 

3. Measure on line i to the left of line 2 the number of inches 
you have decided on for length of basque. Dot, and mark 5. This 
point when carried out will give you your waist line. 

4. Find your 8th measure (under-arm length), and measure that 
number of inches on line i to the left of dot 5, dot, and mark 6. 
This when carried out will be your under-arm line. 

5. Now find one-fourth of the bust measure, and measure that 
number of inches on line i to the left of dot 6, and dot. From this 
dot to the point where line 2 joins line i is the length of line i ; 
i.e., length of front. 

6. Complete the square by drafting the two sides, lines 3 and 4. 

7. Draft line 5, waist line, from dot 5, parallel with line 2, and at 
right angles with line i. Line 5 extends from i to 4. 

8. Draft line 6, under-arm line, from i to 4, parallel with lines 2 
and 5. 

9. Draft line 7, line of bust two inches below under-arm line, 
parallel with it. (Note. — An exact measure can be taken for this, 
and the reader will find it explained in the article on Points.) The 
average length from the under-arm line to line of bust being about 
two inches, that number is used here. 

10. As the greatest circumference of hip measurement is gener- 
ally four inches below the waist line, measure that number of inches 
on lines i and 4 to the right of line 5 (waist line). From these points 
draft line 10 — parallel with lines 5 and 2, and coming between them. 



To Draft a Basque. 45 



1 1 The distance of line 8 from line 4 will always be one-hal the 
width" of back. (5th measurement.) Measure one-half the width of 
back on lines 2 and 3, measuring from line 4, and between these 
points draft vertical line 8. 

I. The distance of line 9 from line 8 will be one-fourth the 
number of inches on Hne 6 between i and 8. Measure the number 
of inches on line 6 between lines i and 8; take one-fourth of this 
measurement and measure on lines 2 and 3 from line 8 ^o-ard Jine i 
and dot Draft vertical line 9 between these points, through lines 
5, 6, 7, and 10, parallel with line 8. This gives the side or space for 

under-arm piece. 

DRAFT OF BACK. 

Plate No. 8 shows the draft of a back of waist. 

1 Draft the oblique line A, starting from the angle formed by 
lines' 9 and 6 ; right-hand side of line 9 to the angle formed by lines 
3 and 4, inter;ect1ng line 8. Mark this line A. This is your shoul- 

der seam of back. ^ , 

2 Beo-in on line 8, where it is crossed by hne A, and measure 
two-thirds" of the distance between A and line 6, and dot. 

3 Measure on line 5 (waist line), from line 4, the number of 
inches taken by 6th measurement (width of back on waist line), 
and dot On the same line, between line 4 and the distance you 
haveTust measured, measure the width of centre of back at waist 

^'"^ Vo'^TE -The centre width is, to the side-form width, about as i 
to -^1/ That is, if the width of back at waist measures yA inches, 
the side form will have 2% inches, and the centre one mch. 

4 Use the piece marked curve for side form, lay it on the draft 
its pointed end (top) touching the dot on line 8 between ^ andj^ 
Brine the edge of curve to the dot on hne 5, nearest line 4, and draft 
curve B With your rule continue straight line from waist down to 
Une 2, parallel with line 4. Mark your lines B and B' 

5 From the angle formed by lines 6 and 8 draft line ^ to second 
dot on line 5. Continue the line, slightly slanting to the left from 
this point, to line 2. Mark your lines C and C 

6 With your pencil slightly curve from where line A intersects 

\ c Q i<^(^f- Plate "> This dves the curve to arm- 
line 8 down to angle 6, 8. (bee riate.; i no, give 

circle back. 



46 



To Draft a Basque. 



6 


9 


8 / 


7 




\ \ 7 


5 




\ A 
\ A 

\ \ 5 


;o 




o 


03 
JO 




9 


8 

1 





Plate No. 8. — Draft Showing Back of Basque. 



To Draft a Basque. 



47 




10 



Plate No. 9. — Draft Showing Front of Basque. 



48 To Draft a Basque. 



Note. — The length of shoulder is not marked, as the front will 
determine what it shall be. This will be completed farther on. 

DRAFT OF FRONT. 

Plate No. 9 shows draft of front of waist. 

1. Place your rule in the angle formed by lines i and 7, and draft 
an oblique line to a point on line 9 that will measure one-third the 
number of inches of bust measure. 

Note. — If the bust measure is 36 the point on line 9 to the angle 
formed by i and 7 will be 12 inches. Where the line ends on line 9 
mark it K. 

2. Place your rule in the upper angle of lines 6 and 8, and draft 
a line to a point on line 3 which will measure one-third of bust meas- 
ure. Mark it L. 

3. Take the piece marked "neck, curve and shoulder," see that 
its upper point touches line 3 at Z, and its right-hand end touches 
line 9 at K, and draft the shoulder seam and neck curve at the same 
time. The curved .piece will give the correct bearing if placed as 
instructed. Mark the shoulder seam M, and neck N. 

4. Measure the distance on line 9 from where K touches, to the 
angle formed by lines 9 and 6, and dot half-way between. From 
this point measure to the left 2^ inches, mark O, and dot. This dot 
gives the inside curve of arm circle. Place the piece marked " curve 
for arm circle " with its lower curved edge touching line 6, bringing 
its upper curve touching O, dot, and draft the arm circle, carrying the 
curve naturally to point K on line 9. (See Plate.) 

5. Undcr-arvi Piece. The under-arm piece is really drafted in 
great part already, the pattern being the space occupied between the 
vertical lines 8 and 9 and the horizontal lines 2 and 6, including the 
intersecting lines 5, 7 and line 10 (shown in cut, but now to be 
drafted). Of the under-arm piece the spring for hip remains to be 
drafted. Measure to the right of line 8, on line 10, three inches, 
and dot. Draft from this dot to the angle of lines 8 and 5, line S, 
obliquely. 

THE DARTS. 

To find the number of inches to be taken out in the darts. 
I. Add the width of under-arm piece, at waist line, to the width 
of back at waist line, then subtract the sum from one-half the waist 



To Draft a Basque. 49 



measure and the remainder will be the number of inches needed in 
front to complete the size of waist. 

2. Find the number of inches on line 5 between lines i and 9 ; 
from that subtract the number of inches needed in front to complete 
the size of waist, and the remainder will be the number of inches to 
be taken out in the darts. 

Example. — If the width of under-arm piece is 3 inches, and 
width of back on waist line 4 inches, these added give 7 inches, 
which subtracted from one-half the waist measure (say 12 inches) 
leaves five inches ; five is, therefore, the number of inches of material 
required to complete the size of waist. 

Then if the width on line 5, between lines i and '9, is 9 inches, 
subtract the 5 inches found above from the 9 inches and the remain- 
der is 4 inches ; therefore 4 inches must be taken out in the darts. 

The amount to be taken out in each dart will be governed by the 
conformation of the figure. If the person is very flat in front and 
curving at the side, then the second dart and side seam will have 
large darts and very little will be taken out in the first. If the form 
curves in front and flattens at the side the greatest amount of cloth 
will be taken in the first dart. If the figure is very uniform, then 
each dart will have an equal amount. Practically there are three 
darts, the side seam being one. This is always considered in this 
S3^stem. 

For practice, supposing 3^^ inches was allowed for the darts, the 
first could be allowed i}{ inch, the second dart ij4 inch, and the 
third, or side seam, three-quarters of an inch. 

The space between the front line (i) and the first dart must always 
allow for button holes ; i}4 inch on ordinary figures is a good allowance. 

I. To draft the dart measure from line i, on line 5, i}4 inch, and 
dot. Now measure the amount to be taken out in first dart, and dot ; 
centrally, between these dots, draw a vertical line, parallel with line 
I and running from line 2 through lines 10 and 5 to within three- 
quarters of an inch of line 7 (bust line). Take your curve pieces for 
darts, and draft the curved lines, as shown in Plate, from the top of 
line just drawn to the dots on line 5. With your straight rule con- 
tinue the lines, leaving about one-half inch width between them 
where they touch on line 2. Measure from right-hand side of the 
first dart, on line 5, three-quarters of an inch, and dot. This will be 



50 



To Draft a Basque. 




Z ' 2. 

Plate No. 10. — Appearance of Front and Back when drafted together. 



52 To Draft a Basque. 

your space between first and second dart. Measure the amount to 
be taken out in second dart, and dot ; centrally, between these dots, 
draft an oblique line, as seen in the Plate, beginning at line 2 and 
ending at line 7. Carry out the curved lines, as in drafting the first 
dart, and continue the straight lines to line 2. A very handsome 
slope is obtained by making the distance between the first and sec- 
ond dart, at line 2, about one-quarter inch more than the distance 
between them on line 5. 

The remaining number of inches to be taken out will be taken at 
the side seam, the dart being entirely on the front, the under-arm 
piece being allowed to continue straight down on line 8. 

Measure on line 5, to the left of line 9, the remaining number 
of inches to come out in the darts, and dot. From this point draft 
line 7" to the angle where line 6 joins line 9. Continue and carry 
out the spring for hip below waist line, same as the spring to under- 
arm piece, corresponding with line ^S" as shown in line T' of plate. 

Turn to plate No. 8, Draft of Back, and observe that on bust line 
(7), between line 8 and line C of side forni, there is a lost space. 
As the length of line 7 is just one-half the actual bust measurement, 
the waist would be too tight if this lost space was not made up. The 
draft being scientific, has left it out, because the cloth was not 
demanded at this point, and places it where required, to carry out 
the correct bust measurement, as well as secure the accurate fit. 

Measure the distance on line 7 between lines 8 and C, then meas- 
ure the number so obtained as a continuation of line 7, where it 
touches on line i, to the left of line i, and dot. This is the point or 
swell of bust. Measure from curve of arm circle (letter O) toward 
line I one-half the measure taken for width of front (3d measure- 
ment), and dot. Place your rule with its edge touching this dot and 
the dot out from line 7, and draft line + from curve at neck to line 7. 
This gives the slope of front from neck to point. Continue from 
line 7, a slightly curved line to a point on line i, above line 5, as 
shown in the plate. If any great fulness is required at the front of 
basque below waist line, the same is obtained by carrying out a line, 
as in dotted line of plate. 

Length of SJiouldcr for Back. To complete the length of shoulder 
for draft of back. Measure the number of inches on shoulder seam 
front, line M, then turn to draft of back and measure the same 



To Draft a Basque. 53 



number of inches on line A, beginning where line A intersects line 
8. Dot, and draw horizontal line V (back of neck). 

To Complete the Draft of Basque. Whatever length is desired at 
hip below waist line, measure that number of inches on lines 8 and 9, 
beginning at line 5, continuing to or beyond line 10. 

Measure the desired length of front on line i, beginning at Hne 5, 
continuing to or beyond line 2. Draft the line for bottom of basque 
from this point to where V touches on hip line, or to the point you 
have marked for length at hip line. Measure the length of line V and 
make the front seam of under-arm piece (line 9 from 5, down) corre- 
spond in length. Make lines C and 6" correspond in the same way. 

The length of line BB^ (spring of side form back), and line ^', 
continuation of back, must be the same. 

Plate No. 10 exhibits the draft as it will appear when made in one 
drafting. The three plates, 7, 8, and 9 having shown the drafting at 
different steps, are made separately to prevent confusion in the mind 
of the learners. 

Plate No. 1 1 exhibits the four sections of basque when cut out, 
the dotted lines showing the seams. 

When the draft is completed, as illustrated on plate 10, with a 
tracing-wheel mark out each section separately, and allow for seams 
when cutting out. 

CORRECTING DRAFTS. 

For certain material it is very essential that the draft should be 
as nearly perfect as possible, particularly where stripes or figures are 
to be matched. Plate No. 12 shows a front of basque with corrected 
lines. The measures taken from the prominent bone at back of 
neck to point of bust and from neck to point are the test measures 
for front of waist. They are applied in this way. For the 9th 
measurement, place your rule on point of bust (line 7, and measure 
the length of 9th measure, less i^ inches, to the point nearest 
where neck curve joins shoulder seam front. (J/ joins N ) If the 
tape or rule calls for more length, then the shoulder seam {M) must 
be carried out, as shown by dotted line above M in the diagram. If 
less was required the dotted line would come below A'l. 

The 4th measurement, neck to point, is the test for correcting 
the height of neck. This measure is taken from the point of bust 
the same as the other. The correction shown in dotted lines of 



54 



To Draft a Basque. 




Plate No. 12. — Corrected Draft of Front. 



To Draft a Basque. 



55 




Plate No. 13. — Corrected Draft of Back. 



56 To Draft a Basque. 

neck curve illustrate that the line has been dropped, or shortened. 
If more length had been required it would have been carried above 
line N. 

The dotted lines in upper points of darts show they have been 
lowered as well as let out ; those in the darts of basque portion indi- 
cate that more fulness was required there. The same in the hip 
seam T'. 

Plate No. 13 shows a corrected draft of back and side form. 

If in taking the measure the length of back is found to run down 
below a line horizontal with the waist line, where it ends above hip 
joint, it naturally follows, that consideration must be given to the 
fact in making the draft. If the back measured 16 inches, showing 
a drop of i inch below line of waist, then the draft should be made 
from a point one inch lower than customary. Or measure 15 inches 
(i inch less than actual measurement), from line 5 to line F, above 
or below Fas the measure would determine. Line B would also be 
changed as shown in dotted lines of diagram, while line BB of side 
form must conform to the changed line B, the slanted line of cut 
showing how. The cut of side form on this plate also shows a 
dotted curved line C. It is a good plan to follow in all cases. The 
curving of line BB at waist as illustrated by the dotted lines is 
another point in artistic fitting, giving a very pretty effect, and avail- 
able in every basque. 

TO DRAFT ONE DART. 

Plate No. 14 shows the method of drafting with one dart. For 
all outside garments and jackets this is the correct cutting. 

The advantages of one dart in cutting stripes has been fully 
dwelt upon in another part of the book. 

To draft with one dart the amount to be taken out will be the 
same as when drafting with two darts. The greater part will be 
taken out in the regular dart, though a slight curving will be 
allowed at front, and about one-half inch more dart taken at line T 
(side seam) than when cutting two darts. 

Measure 2 inches from line i on line 5 and dot for first sewing 
line. Then measure the amount to be taken out in the dart, and 
dot. Draft centre line, with very little flare, same as in drafting the 
other darts, using the curve piece to shape the dart. 



To Draft a Basque. 57 

THE SLEEVE. 

Rules for Measurement. 

Plate No. 6 shows the method of taking measures. 

1. Around fullest part of upper-arm. (See A in illustration.) 

2. Around fore-arm below elbow, B. 

T,. Around hand, easily, C. , . . ■ ^ *.^ 

I From a point in arm-circle back, where sleeve joms waist to 

elbow, D to E. 

5. From elbow to wrist, E to F. 

6. Inside length of upper-arm, G to H. 
7 Inside length of fore-arm, H to K. 

A measure can be taken from the line of where A passes around 
the arm to top of sleeve, if desired. 

Drafting the Sleeve. 

Plate No. 15 represents the draft of a sleeve. 

I With your square draft line i, about 24 inches long, and at 
rio-ht angles with it line 2, about 14 inches long. , ^ ^ 

^ 2 tS the left of line 2, on line i, measure 2^ mches and mark A. 
3'. On line i, to the left of A, measure the inside length of fore- 
arm (yth measure), and mark B. , , , r 

4 On line i, to left of B, measure the inside length of upper-arm 

(6th measure), and mark C. ^ 

5. On line i, to the left of C, measure 2 inches, and draft hne j, 

^''6^'Vri^ foLtB on line i draft line B, parallel with lines 2 and 3. 

7 On line B, from line i, measure 2>^ inches, and dot. 

8. Measure from this dot on line B, two-thirds the circumference 
of 2d measure (fore-arm) dot, and mark BB. 

Q From point A, on line i, draft Hne B to a point on line 2, 
measuring two-thirds of measurement around the hand (3d measure). 

^"'lO^From pomt C, on line i, draft line i? to a point on line 3, 
measuring two-thirds of measurement around the upper-arm (ist 

"'Ttrom 'ptinf ^^ (end of line B), draft line Fto a point where 

'^^f 'Onte'^i? mea!!idng^from line V, measure the length of 

^^T3"V4mThrrL^nt'°i; near A, draft a line to point A, and 

"^^'^fon line H, measuring from point A, measure the inside 
length of fore-arm (7th measure), and dot. 



58 



To Draft a Basque. 




Plate No. 14. — Draft of Basque having One Dart. 







To Draft a Basque. 59 






— > ■ • — 






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/ j: 


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/ / 




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\ 


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K 




\ 


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f . 




It- 






M 
1 




\ 


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a 

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B \ 


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Sleeve. 




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w / 








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r» — 











6o To Draft a Basque. 



15. Draft a line from the point where line E touches on line 3 
to the dot on line F, and mark FF. 

16. Draft a line from point C, on line i, to the dot on Hne H, and 
mark HH. 

17. Draft line K, from the dot on H X.o the dot on F, and mark. 

18. Measure one-third of circumference of upper-arm (ist meas- 
ure) on line E, from line i, and dot. 

19. Measure one-third of circumference of fore-arm (2d measure) 
on line K, from line H, and dot. 

20. Measure one-third of circumference of hand (3d measure) on 
line D, from line H, and dot. 

21. Draft line L, from dot on E to dot on K, thence to dot on D^ 
and mark L. 

22. Line M is the height to top of sleeve ; measure from centre of 
line E, intersecting line 3, line J/ making it about 4 inches in length. 

23. Draft circle N', top of sleeve, and the curve to inside of arm 
circle as shown in plate. 

Observations. 

Shape your sleeve to conform to the lines shown in the plate of 
the perfected sleeve. 

The draft gives top and under side together. This preserves the 
curved lines H and HH. 

Place the pattern over a sheet of paper and run your tracing- 
wheel over the lines constituting the under side of sleeve, and you 
have the pattern. All seams must be allowed for. 

In basting, join points marked X and O, sew toward notch, and 
gather fulness at elbow. 

Fitting the Sleeve. 

To fit the sleeve, draw it well up on the arm, then raise the arm, 
and bring the fore-arm at right angle with the upper-arm, and note 
if the elbow is right. Smooth the sleeve toward shoulder, and when 
it is feeling comfortable, pin it in. There is no point at which a 
sleeve should be set in, so no notch is given. On the conformation 
and muscular movement much will depend. Follow the directions 
here given, and satisfactory results will be obtained. 



To use the large plate, cut it out, paste it on cardboard, and then cut out 
each section. 



~Ll 



13' 



